Videos have been added to Delcam’s Delcam.tv website showing the three main demonstrations from the special open house held at the DMG-MORI showroom in Coventry during May.
The first demonstration showed how PowerMILL can be used to machine extremely complex shapes both safely and efficiently on advanced five-axis machine tools like the DMG DMU 75 monoblock. The example chosen was a Möbius strip, a surface with one continuous side formed by joining the ends of a rectangular strip after twisting one end through 180°. The demonstration can be seen at www.delcam.tv/dmg-pmill
The complexity of the shape meant that the programming needed to use the new Advanced Simulation & Verification module in PowerMILL. This allowed complete verification, covering cutting moves, leads and links, and tool changes, of the project for machine-tool issues such as collisions. The comprehensive verification performed ensured that the program could be run without machine-tool collisions or tooling collisions and that the machine tool was capable of running the proposed strategy successfully.
FeatureCAM demonstration, which can be seen at www.delcam.tv/dmg-fcam, showed a typical production part, with a variety of different types of geometry. The number of features, including a variety of different types of hole, made it ideal as an example of the speed and simplicity of programming that is possible with FeatureCAM’s feature-based approach.
The program also included area clearance with Delcam’s Vortex strategy for high-efficiency roughing. Vortex produces toolpaths with a controlled engagement angle and so maintains the optimum cutting conditions for the toolpath that would normally be possible only for any straight-line moves. As a result, cutting times are significantly shorter. In addition, machining is undertaken at a more consistent volume-removal rate and at a constant feedrate, so extending the life of the cutter and protecting the machine.
The third video shows On-Machine Verification with Delcam’s PowerINSPECT inspection software. This allows initial checking of machined parts to be carried out in situ on any CNC machine tool with probing capabilities, rather than having to transfer the parts to coordinate measuring machines for inspection.
For the demonstration, errors were deliberately inserted into the initial machining program. The video shows how these mistakes can be found with PowerINSPECT OMV and then corrected with a modified program. The main benefit is that repeated cycles of machining and inspection, interspersed with long set-up times on the respective pieces of equipment, are avoided, so enabling overall manufacturing times to be reduced. The video can be viewed at www.delcam.tv/dmg-omv
